CHARLESTON, W.Va. — MetroNews was projecting Businessman Jim Justice, the owner of The Greenbrier Resort, will be the Democratic nominee for governor and face Senate President Bill Cole (R-Mercer, 06), the Republican gubernatorial nominee, in the Nov. 8 general election.
Justice ran against former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall, 02).
The latest numbers are posted here.
The 2016 Democratic gubernatorial race started more than a year ago.
In March 2015, Kessler filed pre-candidacy papers to launch his campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Kessler previously ran for governor in 2011 during a special election to replace U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) when he left the Governor’s Office to fill the late U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd’s (D-W.Va.) seat in the U.S. Senate.
An attorney from Glen Dale, Kessler was appointed to the state Senate to fill a vacancy in 1997. He was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and reelected for every term since then.
Justice promised a campaign focused on jobs and reuniting West Virginia families as he announced his campaign for governor in May 2015 in Greenbrier County soon after changing his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat.
It was Justice’s first step into politics.
Also making his first political run was Goodwin who launched his gubernatorial campaign in January.
Goodwin spent 15 years in the federal prosecutor’s office, the last five as U.S. Attorney.
During the primary campaign, all three candidates met only once to discuss issues — at the same time — during a forum the West Virginia Democratic Party sponsored.
The November general election winner against Senate President Bill Cole (R-Mercer, 06), the Republican gubernatorial nominee, will officially take office in January as the replacement for Governor Earl Ray Tomblin who did not endorse a Democratic candidate for governor prior to Tuesday’s primary election.
Following nearly 17 years as Senate President, Tomblin first became Acting Governor in Nov. 2010 when U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) left the Governor’s Mansion for Capitol Hill.
Tomblin won a special election in Oct. 2011 to fill Manchin’s unexpired term which ran through Jan. 2013 and, in Nov. 2012, was elected to his first full term as West Virginia’s 35th Governor.